(By Sapna Desai Mumbai Samachar Desk)
Mumbai: In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s ambitious Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project, which involves the construction of two twin tunnels, excavation for the second tunnel is set to begin soon. Assembly work on the loose components of the second Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) has reached 70% completion, raising the likelihood that excavation of the second tunnel will commence shortly.
Under Phase 3(B) of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project, two three-lane tunnels each 5.30 kilometres long are being constructed beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, stretching from Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) in Goregaon (East) to Amar Nagar in Mulund (West), using a tunnel boring machine named ‘Tulsi’. Excavation of the first tunnel began on August 17, 2026.
BMC Additional Commissioner Abhijit Bangar inspected the project site on Wednesday, reviewing the excavation methodology, ongoing digging work, and other technical details related to the project. During the inspection, he directed officials to plan the work with attention to safety, machinery efficiency, construction quality, and the project’s deadline.
A senior BMC official said that excavation of the twin tunnels using the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) began at Film City in Goregaon on August 17 as part of the third phase of work, with nine metres of excavation completed so far. Appropriate measures are being taken to speed up the work, and additional manpower is set to be deployed. Since tunnel excavation is technically highly challenging, priority is being given to worker safety.
The official further said that assembly of the loose components of the second TBM is 70% complete, with full assembly planned to be finished by September 30, 2026. Once the TBM is installed at the site, a site acceptance test will begin from October 1 to inspect it, after which the tunnel excavation process will commence.